"Tens of thousands of Catholics watched live-streamed Masses in up to 17 churches across the Diocese of East Anglia over Easter, after churches were closed to physical congregations due to Covid-19 restrictions." Story continues
image captioned: "Live-streaming of Mass at St John's Cathedral in Norwich has been wonderfully well-received, says Bishop Alan Hopes (right) [image insert]: "To know that so many people have been watching and have received reassurance and hope in this difficult time is a source of grate blessing..'"
images of Fr David Bagstaff, Fr Luke Goymour, Canon Eugene Harkness
"The launch of the new Sacred Heart Voluntary Aided Proimary School, and its associated Little Pedlars Nursery, has marked the start of an exciting time for the children and families of Swaffham and surrounding areas. The school is funded by the Government and is suported by the Catholic Diocese of East Anglia." Story continues.
Image caption: "Children from Sacred heart proudly show off their rockets."
"Fr Luke Goymour, parish priest of Brandon and Mildenhall, is about to celebrate 10 years as a priest of the Diocese of East Anglia." Story continues.
Image 1: Fr Luke saying mass
Image 2: Papal blessing
"At the invitation of Bishop Alan Hopes, Fr Henry Whisenant, a young diocesan priest of the diocese of East Anglia, has taken up the role as Chaplain for the Extraordinary Form in a house with a privately-owned chapel - Our Lady Immaculate and St Edmund's, Withermarsh Green. It is in the southeast corner of the diocese, south of Ipswich." Story continues.
The Catholic Universe (1860-2021)Story1:
"Anglia: Bishop Alan Hopes made a special visit to the Italian community of the Working Sisters of Nazareth recently in between two Confirmations in the parishes of All Souls and St Luke's in Peterborough, and enjoyed some fine Italian cooking from Sr Letizia while he was there." Story continues.
Image caption "Bishop Alan, left to right, are Sr Raffaella, Sr-Letizia, Sr Erika"
Story2:
"St Mary's in Thetford celebrated Remembrance Sunday by laying a wreath for those who had made the ultimate sacrifice in conflict." Story continues.
Image caption "Pictured is the wreath from St Mary's in Thetford."
Story3: "Anglia: Fr Paul Vincent OCD from St Mark's, Ipswich, recently completed a Masters Degree at Birkbeck College in the University of London." Story continues.
Image of Fr Paul Vincent
"Ciaran Losasso, leader of the Ignite youth mission in the diocese, spoke recently on Radio Maria's Songs in the Wilderness show about his favourite music and his journey of faith." Story continues.
Image: Ciaran Losasso
"Respects are being paid to a Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital nurse who died after a long battle with coronavirus. Emergency department staff nurse Estrella Catalan died at the age of 52 on February 5 having joined the trust in September 2002." Story continues.
Image 1 caption: "Nurse Estrella Catalan's coffin inside StJohn'sRC Cathedral for the vigil"
Image 2 caption: "Flowers representing the NHS a tthe vigil for Estrella Catalan"
Image 3 caption: "The hearse arrives at St John's RC Cathedral"
Image 4 flowers forming the word "MUM" being carried
Image 5 caption: "Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital staff nurse Estrella Catalan died in early February after a long battle with the coronavirus."
"Bishop Alan has celebrated a Mass and blessed an icon to inaugurate the Year of the Family, which began on 19th March. The icon of the Holy Family which he blessed was created by Fr Luke Goymour from the St Thomas of Canterbury parish in Brandon." Story continues
Image caption: "Picture is Fr Luke with the Icon of the Holy Family"
"A deacon who will soon serve in Norwich has been ordained a priest at a mass at the city's St John the Baptist Cathedral". Story continues
image caption: "Fr Michael Smith with the Rt Rev Alan Hopes, Bishop of East Anglia, outside the Cathedral of St John the Baptist in Norwich"
"An eye-opening tour of St John’s Cathedral in Norwich persuades a visitor that the neglected ‘Middle Scott’ may have been the greatest of the illustrious architectural dynasty". Story continues
Image caption: "Left, the aisle looking towards the altar and, below, a detail from a postcard showing the old red telephone boxes outside St John’s."
"The latest leader of the region's Roman Catholics, the new Bishop of East Anglia, has been announced. Pope Francis has appointed the Rev Canon Peter Collins to lead the Diocese of East Anglia, which has its headquarters in Norfolk and also covers Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough." Story continues
image 1 caption: The new Bishop of East Anglia, Rev Canon Peter Collins, is welcomed to the Cathedral Church of St John the Baptist in Norwich"
image 2: insert image of Canon Collins
"Sacred Heart Church in Soutwold has received a welcom boost with confirmation of a National Lottery grant of £210,000 and a grant of £10,000 from Historic England for the 'Crowning and Warming the Sacred Heart of Southwold' heritage project. Story continues.
Image caption: "Southwold parishioners celebrate grants for the Sacred Heart of Southwold heritage project with parish priest Fr Roger de Lacy-Spencer."
"St John Fishers Catholic High School has celebrated its 60th anniversary, and marked the retirement of its headteacher, with a special Mass." (Article continues...). Image of pupils with flags/banners in a classroom.
The Catholic Universe (1860-2021)"The Pope's personal representative in Great Britain has completed a four-day tour of East Anglia after being invited to the county by the Bishop of East Anglia Rt Rev Alan Hopes." (article continues...). Image of a group in SJB Cathedral Gardens (not Sheringham as per caption).
[the same story appears in EDP and Dereham Times]
Text:
18 JUNE 2019, THE TABLET
New school opening is landmark for UK Catholic education
by Liz Dodd
'We expect that this school, like most schools in the Diocese, will have a wide mix of children of all faiths and none'
File photo, St Thomas More pupils
Photo: Diocese of East Anglia
The Government has approved funding for three fully selective faith schools, including at least one Catholic school, for the first time in almost a decade.
The move marks the end of a long-running row over state funding for faith schools that saw the Government first pledge to allow new faith free schools to select all of their pupils on the basis of faith, then scrap that pledge. In May 2018 the Government said that instead it would support the opening of voluntary aided faith schools, that would be allowed to select all their pupils on the basis of faith.
The new Catholic school will be a voluntary-aided primary school in Peterborough, in the Diocese of East Anglia, on the Hampton East housing development. In a statement the Diocese of East Anglia said that the new school, which is expected to have up to 90 places plus a nursery, will help meet demand for more school places in the city, as well as providing more Catholic places.
Helen Bates, Assistant Director for Schools, said: “This is fantastic news. It will provide the first brand-new, purpose-built Catholic school in this diocese for decades. We would like to thank everyone who helped us make this bid a success by providing their support earlier this year. We will now need to go through a statutory consultation to make our case to the local education authority (Peterborough City Council), to approve the opening of the new school. We will be asking for people’s support once again when we do this. When this consultation starts there will be further information available on the Diocesan website.”
She said that the Diocese had submitted bids for three new voluntary aided schools, but that only one bid had been approved.
“We were not successful with these two bids,” said Ms Bates, “and are waiting to find out the reasons behind this from the Government. But to be successful with one is great news.”
The announcement came as part of a wider announcement of funding for free schools, with information released by the Department for Education indicating approval for 22 new free schools, of which three are faith schools.
The Accord Coalition, which opposes faith-selective education, called the move backward and socially irresponsible.
Chair of the Accord Coalition for Inclusive Education, the Revd Stephen Terry, said: “In England since 2010 faith schools that have opened with the support of central government have been limited in selecting no more than half of their pupils on faith grounds. Though a relatively small measure, it signalled that schools should seek to bring people together from different backgrounds and that integration was being taken more seriously than before.
“Opening new schools that can be fully religiously selective is a backward and socially irresponsible move. Today's news is a victory for those who seek to isolate children of their faith from wider society. It can only lead to further ghettoisation, which is completely at odds with the needs of our increasingly diverse society.”
In East Anglia Ms Bates said that the new school would most likely be as diverse as others in the diocese. “We expect that this school, like most schools in the Diocese, will have a wide mix of children of all faiths and none. On average, about a third of pupils in our schools are not Catholic,” she said.
"A catholic priest in east Anglia had a narrow escape after violent winds blew a stone cross off his church." story continues.
image with inset captioned: "The damaged roof. Inset Fr Charles.."
"An 80-year-old priest retired this month after an impressive 56 years in ministry." story continues
The Catholic Times"Hundreds of pupils and staff from 28 schools across the Diocese of East Anglia came together on 20th September for a special Mass at St John the Baptist Cathedral to mark the start of a new academic year." story continues.
1 image captioned "Bishop Alan Hopes with representatives from diocesan schools"
Offices of East Anglia province 27, Knights of St Columba enjoyed a convivial and prayerful Evening Parish Mass at St John the Baptist Cathedral, Norwich, on Sunday 15th March, before the lockdown, during which they were installed by Supreme Director for Youth, Bro Michael Akinrele." Story continues.
Image caption: "The new Brothers with Bro Michael Akinrele, Rev Deacon Patrick Limacher."
"Well-next-Sea parishioner Prisca Hastings describes some f the grace-filled moments she has experienced amid the coronavirus pandemic." Story continues.
Image caption: "Prisca Hastings (third from right) with her fellow volunteers in Jamaica"